It’s well-documented that coaches like to bring in their own guys, trusted personnel, when they are hired. That fact that fresh Seahawks head coach, Mike Macdonald chose two guys he had never worked with before as coordinators was slightly unprecedented. It may have also spoken to his lack of connections around the league at his (relatively) young age. Pete Carroll has said that he would like to retain some of the previous Raiders coaching staff and did just that, convincing Patrick Graham to stick around. A 6-year defensive coordinator who has been in demand, taking head coaching interviews himself! He could even be the heir.

Despite some new connection being formed, there are reports of Pete’s guys already getting interviews. The man that won a ring directing Carroll’s offense in Seattle, Darrell Bevell (among a couple others) is a heavy favorite for the same role in Vegas. Do the two men already have plans to absolve their 1-yard line, Super Bowl transgressions in Sin City? I wrote about how Geno may even fit exactly what the new regime is looking for (Proof from Pete: video queued up to 6:24):

There may be guys from teams like the Commanders, Cowboys, Eagles and Packers who ran similar systems as Pete’s late Hawks years who will get extra consideration. Here we’ll explore more of the individual dudes whom Coach Carroll will consider calling to his side to fight a new battle.

Offensive Coordinator Candidates

• Darrell Bevell
• Chip Kelly
• Byron Leftwich
• Brennan Carroll (Son of Pete, OC at UW)
• Nate Carroll (Son of Pete, passing game coordinator with the Panthers)
• Tom Cable (Former Seahawks assistant HC and OL Coach, Former Raiders HC)
• Frank Smith (Oakland ties and interviewed in the same capacity in Seattle)

Defensive Coordinator Candidates (before news of Graham’s return)

• Gus Bradley (Former Seahawks DC)
• Ken Norton Jr. (Former Seahawks LB’s Coach -> DC)
• Kris Richard (Former Seahawks DB’s Coach -> DC)
• Wink Martindale (Oakland Ties)

The following is a list of players that I believe could be system fits, and will greatly interest Pete Carroll and new GM, John Spytek (the most made-up-sounding, New England Patriots-y name that ever existed). Some are names with natural connections, and some will surprise. Go and @ me here or on X and we can expand on any of these.

Offensive Players

Quarterbacks: Russell Wilson, Geno Smith, Shedeur Sanders, Joe Milton III, Daniel Jones, Andy Dalton, Jacoby Brissett, Drew Lock, Zach Wilson

Running Backs: Javonte Williams, J.K. Dobbins, Nick Chubb, Aaron Jones, Najee Harris, Jordan Mason, George Holani

Wide Receivers: Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, Tee Higgins, Hollywood Brown, Mike Williams, Dareke Young, David Moore, Joshua Palmer, Stefon Diggs

Tigh Ends: Zach Ertz, Mike Gesicki

Offensive Linemen: Morgan Moses, Kelvin Beachum, Stone Forsythe, Laken Tomlinson, D.J. Humphries, Trey Smith, Bradley Bozeman, Aaron Banks, Jon Feliciano, Austin Corbett,

Defensive Players

Linebackers: Bobby Wagner, Drake Thomas, Tyrel Dodson, Erick Kendricks, Willie Gay, Denzel Perryman, Isaiah McDuffie, Zach Baun, Shaq Thompson

Edge Rushers: Khalil Mack, Uchenna Nwosu, Darrell Taylor, Josh Sweat, Dante Fowler, Chase Young, Deatrick Wise, Azeez Ojulari

Interior Defensive Linemen: Jarran Reed, Calais Campbell, Poona Ford, Morgan Fox, Folorunso Fatukasi, Javon Hargrave, Osa Odighizuwa, Milton Williams

Cornerbacks: D.J. Reed, Byron Murphy (MIN), Mike Jackson, Tre Brown, Artie Burns, Carlton Davis, Stephon Gilmore

Safeties: Jordan Poyer, Xavier Woods, Quandre Diggs, Tre’von Moehrig, Jaylinn Hawkins, Jordan Fuller, Justin Reid, Caleb Farley, Jevon Holland, Marcus Maye, Tony Jefferson, Harrison Smith

I’d imagine that if Peter has his way, the Silver and Black will sign a veteran, late round and undrafted defense with experience… The players in house have great potential, but Pete, John and crew may need to strengthen the stop-unit right down the middle. The idea is to have them compete to find the real dawgs (which Pete usually finds on defense); draft offense high to make the attack viable for a vet. QB (and mid-late round successor) and take pressure off of the defensive environment of evaluation.

He came back for a very team-friendly contract with incentives in 2023, then again in 2024 for the first year without Pete Carroll as head coach in Seattle since 2010. His numbers have not been bad since, but his QB Rating has fallen each season: 100.9 in 2022, 92.1 in 2023, and 90.5 in 2024. The Seattle Seahawks have, so far, been a 9-win outfit each of those years. This year’s figure ranks him 19th in the NFL this year… that’s Derek Carr territory .

You could blame some of this on the deterioration of the offensive line in Seattle: ranked bottom-5 in run-block win-rate (according to ESPN) and 2nd-worst in the league at allowing pressure (39.9% of drop backs). I think, however, the theme around Seattle over the last couple of years is frustration. Frustration at always being slightly better than average. Frustration at the same results over and over and over again. That consternated vibe carried Carroll out of the PNW and ushered in Mike Macdonald and his crew of cronies.

Mike Macdonald himself (partnered with John Schneider, no doubt) ha(ve)s been unafraid to let solid players go to seek the outstanding. Tyler Lockett got demoted, Stone Forsythe sat on IR, Zach Charbonnet finally got run, 6th and 7th round rookies (Sataoa Laumea and Michael Jerrell, respectively) were given a shot on the offensive line, Sam Howell was traded for, Darrell Taylor, Mike Jackson and Jerome Baker were all shipped out, Josh Jobe took Tre Brown’s job, Coby Bryant took Rayshawn Jenkins’ job, Riq Woolen was once again benched, and the Hawks’ leader in tackles (up until that point) in Tyrel Dodson was straight up cut. It’s a new era, and everyone has a shot to make some noise and prove something to the new head man. This isn’t just ho-hum try your best buds… every position will be evaluated.

I do believe that it is in the best interests of the team to bring back Geno Smith if you can get him on a relatively cheap contract. I mean, the man is 34 years old… a grandpappy in NFL eyes. Seattle already fired its offensive coordinator in Ryan Grubb, so a little continuity in another transition year couldn’t hurt. That’s also the reason I think the Hawks hire an experienced play caller this time around, but that may be an article for another day. Bring the offensive leader back at a figure that doesn’t break the bank, and if he can’t get it done, you have Sam Howell and hopefully some kind of draft pick as the contingency plans. You’ve got to believe all of the chemistry and good will Smith has banked in Seattle could lead him to offer a hometown discount at this point in his career as well. If the team around his is elite and cohesive next year, if he is not under constant siege in the pocket, he is a capable trigger man that knows his weapons.

Having that been said, let’s dive into the possible destinations that could beckon to Geno Smith, if the Seahawks ring of trust disagrees with me and wants to do a clean sweep. If Smith winds up parting with Seattle as a part of the next steps of the Mike Macdonald era (which Kenneth Arthur seems pretty convinced will happen), there should be demand for a capable passer. Maybe not from former teams in the Jets and Giants, but there will be a market for his services. Wherever he goes (especially be it in Seattle), I’ll wish him success.

In Alphabetical Order:

Carolina Panthers

• This is an absolute wild card to start with, but the QB coach for Geno during his breakout year is now the HC in Carolina. Smith could be very attracted to playing in a similar system that he found a lot of success in, proving that it’s his surroundings and not his age that’s responsible for regression. Los Panteras invested in the offensive line this past offseason, signing OG’s Robert Hunt and (former Seahawk teammate) Damien Lewis. Dave Canales know the value of this, as the team he just left his post as OC for (the Buccaneers) have the 4th-ranked line (according to PFN) going into Week 18. Think Smith disagrees with the Seattle GM’s stance on guards after this season of hell behind John’s joke of a line? This would also be the locale with the shakiest hold on the job, as Bryce Young has shown a bit of improvement late in the season.

Cleveland Browns

• What if there is a true competition with Deshaun Watson? Watson has been underreported as the worst trade of all-time… don’t give that to Russ! Watson has been bad, even despite Cleveland’s OL being 11th in pass block win rate, according to ESPN. Our guy G. would pray for line play that solid. The Browns chose the wrong guy, seeing Baker Mayfield (who they basically said wasn’t a grown up (lol)) advance to the playoffs with the Bucs once again. There are a couple of Seattle boys on the line there as well, and Cedric Tillman could come to life as a downfield threat once again. Divisional matchups against Russ, ladies and gentlemen?

Indianapolis Colts

• This one could make a lot of sense. Indy has a strong tradition of very good offensive line performance (something Geno should covet at this point in his career), stout defense and is chock-full with playmakers. Sounds like the kind of environment that Russell Wilson got at the start of his career! Ok, enough about him, this is #7 we are talking about. Anthony Richardson is physically astounding, but 38 out of 38 qualifying quarterbacks in QB Rating this year. That’s bad, and Shane Steichen is coaching for his job this year… Flacco ain’t gonna cut it.

Las Vegas Raiders

• Edit: Removed the New Orleans Saints here, replacing the Black and Gold of NOLA with the Silver and Black that now colors the desert. Pete Carroll is back and he will rise again! (Ok, maybe a LITTLE TOO CLOSE TO HOME there ) The man known to chew gum, rock Nike Monarchs and find elite DB’s everywhere he goes could look for a little help from one of his “all-time favorite guys“! The new head man of the Raiders is an enjoyer of savvy vet QB’s on cheap deals who can take care of the ball and rally the troops. Or cheap rookies… but the team may be too far off from the top of the draft to go the young route. G-Money rolling the dice down the seams in Sin City could bring some needed excitement to town.

Tennessee Titans

• The Titans finally benched the mayo man, Will Levis. There are a lot of similarities between the offenses and defenses of both Tennesse and Seattle, so the transition could be eased down in Cashville. The Seahawks even conducted joint practices with the Titans this past offseason, getting intimate with an opposing squad in a hostile environment. Coach Callahan brought his POPS in to help fortify the offensive trenches and may prefer a more traditional pocket passer than what he has in Levis.

You don’t want to go to these teams Geno, what can we do to make this thing work for one more year?!

It would be a treat to see Geno Smith back with a commiserate contract. We’ve seen him play at a high level, he can navigate pressure well, he is a respected leader and he’s still hungry. Worst case scenario, if Father Time has him in his clutches and his play sinks next year… maybe you roll with him until the wheels come off and put you in position to draft a young prospect. That or Sam Howell saves the day… J.J. McCarthy? Joe Milton??? One thing is for sure: Seattle won’t be able to properly evaluate the effectiveness of any quarterback until they fix the offensive trenches and blocking schemes.

A.B. views himself as an icon and a brand. He is somewhat correct. His work ethic is unquestioned. His talent is generational. He styles himself in bold and eccentric ways that we’ve never seen. He works his tail off, posts his workouts and broadcasts his motivations all over social media. He believes that he is fighting for his freedom and for his principles. He is obviously hyper aware and hyper focused on all of the criticisms. So much so that he doesn’t see the full reality of his actions.

The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth

–Antonio Brown on Twitter

It’s pretty easy to see him as clouded, crazy or selfish. There have been a great deal of memes calling him a clown for all of his antics (some hilarious). He has been painted as the great villain of this season so far. These takes may be justified… but I believe that he has made moves with his own best interests in mind, according to the leverage that his game-changing talent has afforded him.

Yes, Brown’s actions have been incredibly selfish when viewed through the prism of a team sport such as professional football. I won’t go so far as to call him a clown, but he has certainly been directing the circus. A.B. has been given too much leeway by two well-known player-friendly coaches in Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh and Jon Gruden in Oakland. This will not fly with Bill Belichick in New England. Brown will need to put his ego in check and go on chill mode.

Let me make this clear: this is not an article meant to defend or justify Antonio Brown and his out-sized actions. I want to take a deep look at the media’s treatment of him compared to other players, and furthermore, how the media is so good at telling us what we should pay attention to and care about.

I’m here to tell you (and began writing this point even before he got signed) that Antonio Brown will get his check and he will dominate this year. Bet that. We can call him whatever we want to, and make all of the memes (please do), but players have been given second chances after doing WAY worse things than A.B.! It is interesting to see the ways in which the media directs our attention, and almost dictates which topics we care about.

Reuben Foster was recently given a second chance after twice being accused of domestic violence and threats. Greg Hardy was told that he would get a second chance to play (although it didn’t end up happening) after being accused of threatening and throwing his girlfriend on a pile full of guns. Tyreek Hill was accused of breaking his son’s arm and was caught on audio recording telling his fiancé that she needed to be afraid of him. Heck, Ezekiel Elliott has been in trouble for multiple reasons, including exposing a woman’s breast without her consent on camera. There were apparently long-time cover-ups for Josh Brown and his domestic violence, as well as the whole Jerry Sandusky cover-up. These men deserved real punishment.

In a very telling sequence of events, Ray Rice was originally only suspended two games when news broke that he knocked his fiancé out cold with a punch to the head. When the video came out, that’s when the public outrage occurred, not before. Societal pressure and criticism are what caused the NFL to change their ruling, and indefinitely suspend Rice.

And so, we need to ask ourselves: how often is our anger and energy weaponized and channeled by the media and it’s agenda? I would argue that its quite often. Consider the Eurocentric nature of our international concerns and empathy.

When there is a tragedy or safety concern in a European country, we have Facebook filters and hashtags to support them. The media runs with these things with wall-to-wall coverage. That is great, empathy and concern for others is always a good thing. Selective empathy is not. When disaster strikes countries that are predominately black or latin, the same social media support or level of awareness doesn’t seem to be present. Why is that? Let’s pray for Paris… but can we also pray for Nigeria?? Why did we hear more about the Notre Dame Cathedral being partially burned (then restored by donations from millionaires) than the ongoing burning of the Amazon Rainforests?

Why did Michael Vick get a year and a half in jail and a two year suspension from the NFL for dog fighting (something that clearly should have been punished), while Donte Stallworth got less than a month in jail and a one year suspension from the NFL for DUI manslaughter? Even if you get yourself to a point where you believe that the legal ramifications fit each’s respective crimes, there’s still the issue of disparity in how there were mass protests over Vick ever getting a second chance in the league, and most don’t even know about Stallworth’s transgressions.

Again, Antonio Brown has acted selfishly, without regard to anyone but himself at times… but doesn’t that describe a lot of entertainers? His new team is not without it’s controversies, but they will hopefully help him to gain maturity and humility (hopefully). Do not pretend for a second that Brown has committed some heinous act for which he should be blackballed from the league. The same could be said of another notable former NFL star (whom the Jaguars need to call up):

We all need a villain in sports. That’s part of the beauty of fandom. Call Antonio Brown whatever you want, and root for his downfall if you would like… that is your sports right. I am not here to defend or denounce him. Moving on past his situation, let’s keep in mind that in the day and age of social pressure and viral stories, which topics are we being fed by the media? Which are we ignoring? How about we transfer some of our organized outrage to those who deserve it? And how about we start highlighting the positive instead of sensationalizing the negative?